Your Summer Family Vacation: Water Safety Tips

No doubt about it, splash time in a pool is synonymous with summer fun! As you head off on your summer vacation, it is worthwhile to review water safety basics with your family even if your children swim like fish and spend a lot of time in the water at home. The aquatics facilities at your destination may be different from what you're used to, and there may be guidelines that are unique to the setting. By developing familiarity with basic water safety, you'll be well prepared for family fun at a pool or waterpark.

At Smugglers' Notch Resort in Vermont, aquatics supervisors and lifeguards ensure a great experience for guests enjoying the resort's three pool and waterslide complexes, along with two swimming and recreational-use reservoirs. The resort's aquatics staff share the following observations for parents to keep in mind as their little fishies hit the water: 

• Young children don’t swim the same way that adults do; they may do a “doggy paddle” or a modified tread in which they don’t make a whole lot of forward progress. While these methods will keep a child’s head above the surface in still water, turbulence at the bottom of a slide, waterfall, or other feature can overwhelm young children.
• Kids can tire more quickly than adults; remember, smaller children are expending effort to keep afloat in areas in which taller people can stand.
• Young children are not able to regulate their body temperature as well as adults can, so even a pool that seems warm can lower their body temperature.
• Kids often won’t communicate well about how they are feeling, and therefore extra vigilance is required from parents and lifeguards. The lure of water play may keep them swimming even when they are becoming tired.

Ready to hit the water with your kids?